Science centers regularly provide their communities with science news and promote dialogue on current science issues. As concerns over the H1N1 virus continue to grow, ASTC members are serving as places where visitors can learn more about the virus and share information with others, both on-site and online.

Adventure Science Center, Nashville, Tennessee, and the Exploratorium, San Francisco, are hosting on-site public programs on May 1 and May 3, respectively, where microbiologists will present information and answer questions about the “swine flu.”

Science Buzz, the website of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s “current science” initiative, focuses on science in the news, emerging research, and seasonal science. The web site is designed to be a source of science information, but also encourages users to respond to the stories they find and even contribute their own.

ScienceNetwork WA, a web site developed and hosted by Scitech, Perth,  in partnership with the Government of Western Australia, is a source for science news, as well as information about events and career opportunities in the region.

About the image: Users have contributed information about the H1N1 virus, including links to official disease control web sites, on the Science Buzz blog. Image courtesy Science Museum of Minnesota

On April 21, the PNC Foundation announced Grow Up Great with Science, a new initiative to foster a foundation in science for preschoolers. The foundation has awarded grants to 14 mid-Atlantic science centers and nonprofit organizations, including 10 ASTC members. The grants will fund professional development for local preschool teachers and free science center visits for families with preschoolers. In addition, science center staff will travel to classrooms to help teachers create hands-on activities for their students.

The intiative was announced in celebration of the fifth anniversary of PNC Grow Up Great, a 10-year, $100 million investment in early childhood education. The PNC Foundation has pledged up to $6 million in grants over three years to fund the program and conduct an independent evaluation of its success. Second- and third-year funding is contingent upon science centers’ successful completion of the prior year’s project goals.

ASTC grant recipients are: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh; Cincinnati Museum Center, Ohio; Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington; the EcoTarium (as part of the Worcester Collaborative), Massachusetts; the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia; Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, New Jersey; Louisville Science Center, Kentucky; Maryland Science Center, Baltimore; and Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

About the image: At a Grow Up Great with Science kickoff event, preschoolers learn about slugs at the Delaware Museum of Natural History’s “Slug Races” station. Photo courtesy the Delaware Museum of Natural History

ASTC and Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, jointly organized an international seminar of science and museum professionals on Science Engagement in Action, held March 20 at Heureka and webcast live. The panel debated the following questions: What are the most challenging issues facing humanity today and into the future? What is the role of science in helping to solve these challenges? What can science centers do to engage citizens in the debate and action needed?

One challenge identified was that society is changing, partly due to networking technologies, and these changes will fundamentally affect the ways in which people behave. The panel discussed the need for science centers to be on top of these trends towards a decentralized, empowered, participatory, and knowledgeable society, engaging citizens by providing a forum where the general public, scientists, and policy makers can meet. Additionally, science centers, now existing mainly in the industrial world, are particularly needed in the developing world and in countries where fundamentalist ideologies impair scientific advancement. It was concluded that science centers play a role in building a sustainable knowledge base in our societies by providing forums for debate and dialogue while fostering a passion for science.

Video of the conference is available here.

About the image: SEA panelists and moderators from left to right:
Rosalia Vargas, Charlie Trautmann, John Falk, Ford W. Bell, Claudie Haigneré, Per-Edvin Persson, Stig Gustavson, Alan Leshner, Lesley Lewis, Anthony Townsend, Marja Makarow. Photo courtesy Saila Puranen/Heureka

NanoDays 2009, the second annual nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering, kicked off on March 28. Organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), the festival will continue through April 5 with over 200 science museums, research centers, and universities across the United States taking part.

NanoDays activities are designed to bring university researchers together with science museum educators to create learning experiences for both children and adults to explore the miniscule world of atoms, molecules, and nanoscale forces. Most participating science centers are combining simple hands-on activities for young people with presentations on current research for adults. Several also are hosting forum programs engaging the public in discussions about the benefits and risks of particular applications of nanotechnology.

About the image: Brindha Muniappan, education associate at the Museum of Science, Boston, helps a visitor add to a collaborative stained glass window using pre-made nanoparticle solutions containing silver and gold. Photo courtesy Museum of Science

Science centers around the world will celebrate the third annual Earth Hour on March 28. Launched by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) in 2007, Earth Hour is an hour-long lights-out event that raises awareness and encourages action on energy and climate issues. To help the WWF reach its goal of one billion participants, ASTC members on five continents (including 10 countries and 11 U.S. states) have announced plans to participate in this year’s Earth Hour.

Working with local schools and government, Teknikens Hus, Lulea, Sweden, has recruited students to be city hall “spies”. The students will “sneak” into government offices after business hours to check on energy use, making sure government employees are shutting down electrical appliances.

MadaTech, Haifa, Israel, is hosting a “Sun Party,” where students will work together to build a human sun tower, focusing mirrors on solar panels to power amplifiers during the party. After the party, they will march to city hall and present the mayor with a declaration on protecting the Earth.

In addition to organizing local events, science centers have created Earth Hour resources to share online with other centers across the globe. Sciencenter, Ithaca, New York, has put together a booklet to help Earth Hour participants measure the amount of energy and carbon dioxide saved by turning out the lights during Earth Hour. Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Canada, is providing online access to its Star Watch program to help science centers take advantage of the lights-out event with telescope viewing parties.

About the image: Ontario Science Centre’s Star Watch program ecourages people to look to the skies during Earth Hour. Photo courtesy Ontario Science Centre